Chapter 9

                                    

                                          
"I don't know where he got it. I guess we will find out when he wakes up. My main concern was getting her here, once I saw the condition she was in." Said Eric.
"Well, she's lucky that you found her when you did. Without medical intervention, there's no way she would have survived a dose that heavy. That amount would have landed your ass in here." Said the medic, whose name was Ella.
Just then, Four and Max walked in carrying Zachariah. They shoved him carelessly onto a bed across the room from Rae, and walked over to join the others next to her bedside to discuss what had just occurred.
Four, who'd been working in the control room, watched on camera as Zachariah had led Rae toward the net. He'd seen her stumble just before they got out of view of the cameras. At first he did nothing until he too heard Rae's scream over the monitor and saw a nearby Eric go running. 
Eric had been on his way back to his apartment from the fear landscape lab, prepping serum for the beginning of Stage 2. He'd heard Rae's scream, and went running to find Zachariah pinning her, drugged, bleeding and nearly naked, to the wall. Fresh anger surged through Eric hotly as he recalled his side of the story for Max. His fists clenched involuntarily. Max placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"He'll be taken care of. Take it easy, Eric. You've done well." Eric obliged, not wanting to give any hint about his growing feelings for Rae, and the real reason he was so angry. She was his.
"So what now? Is she going to make it?" Asked Four, clearly not at all interested in how Eric may be feeling.
"That's a wonderful question!" Ella exclaimed holding up her hands. "I had her sedated, to check for any internal or cranial injuries, but I found none. She has a concussion, and some nasty cuts and bruises, but with rest and pain killers she'll make a full recovery. I pumped her stomach to remove most of the serum. The rest should work itself through her system within a few hours. I've also prescribed a few mild sleeping pills and pain killers, to use if she desires. I want to keep her here for the night, but she should be waking up shortly."
"Here? You can't keep her here with him. That's not a good idea." Four pointed out.
"True, but what else would you suggest? You can't possibly think the dorms would be a better place for her?" Asked Max.
"Absolutely not!" Cried the medic. "She needs rest, not 20 people questioning her! Besides, what if she needs medical attention? The dorm is way too far from here."
"She can stay with me." Said Eric quietly. They all turned to him, surprised. "What?" He shrugged. "I have a pullout couch. We can push the start of Stage 2 back another day and I'll take the day off tomorrow. My apartment is right around the corner, I can have her here in minutes if something should happen. Other than that, she can sleep all day tomorrow." 
They all looked from one to another, and finally at Ella, who shrugged her shoulders.
"Fine, but if anything happens to her, it's on you not me." Eric rolled his eyes. "Take her now... I suppose the last thing she needs is to see this one first thing when she wakes up." She nodded toward Zachariah, then proceeded to remove Rae's IV. She then handed Eric a bag containing medicine, which he shoved in his pocket. For the second time that evening, he scooped up Rae's small, limp figure, this time wrapped in a hospital blanket, and carried her to his apartment. 
Once inside, he went straight to his bedroom and laid Rae down in his bed, pulling the comfortor up to her chin. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching her sleep. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically now, and she breathed deeply and evenly... Unlike when Eric had first found her. He clenched his jaw remembering the way she had just laid there after falling to the ground, the light slowly fading from her pleading eyes and her lungs working overtime to breathe. 
He couldn't explain his developing attachment to Rae. He hadn't been with anyone in a year and a half, and had never met any girl that he'd really even given a shit about. Yet within three weeks of knowing her, he'd jumped at the chance to get with her. This girl, that he knew nothing about, was constantly on his mind. He wasn't sure where exactly things were going with Rae, but he had been the only man to ever touch her in that way and definitely angered at the thought of any other man doing so. 
Now that he was finally alone with her he reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Right then, her eyes fluttered open, meeting Eric's gaze. At first she lay still, staring up into his ice blue eyes with her lily pad green ones. Her expression was unreadable. Slowly he withdrew his hand from her cheek. She sat up suddenly, gasping. Just as quickly she lay right back down, gripping her throbbing head. 
"Hey, relax Rae. You're safe, alright?"
"No, I think... I think Zachariah did something. Ahh...I can't remember, everything is all blurred together. Eric I think I should go to the infirmary-"
"You've already been." He held up her wrist that showcased her hospital ID bracelet. "And yes, that little fuckface drugged you, beat you around and almost raped you."
She lowered her head to her her hands for a few moments, trying to comprehend. She smelled of beer and blood. Without looking up she asked,
"He didn't rape me though, right? Why am I here? Why aren't I still in the infirmary?"
"No, thankfully he didn't get that far. It's late Rae. I'll explain everything tomorrow. Just know that Zachariah is being dealt with and you are safe here. The only reason he's not dead right this moment is because I'm here, with you." His jaw clenched as he gave her knee nearest him a reassuring squeeze. Turning, he grabbed two pills from her bag of medicine, and held them out to her. "Take these, they're for pain. I took the day off tomorrow so... I'll help you." 
Rae's head snapped up as Eric uttered those last three words. A recollection of Zachariah's voice hissing in her ear, "I'll help you." flashed through her mind. She lashed out, knocking the pills from Eric's outstretched hand.
"Bullshit! She yelled at him. She looked Eric straight in his shocked face, and continued, "I don't trust you. I don't trust any of you! I don't need anybody's help damn it! I don't need any of your weird pills!"
Eric's face got instantly red, and she could see the anger rising up in him as a vein bulged in his neck. She didn't know exactly why she was going off like this but she couldn't stop herself.
"I mean, fuck, why don't you all just leave me alone? I'd rather throw myself in the chasm than accept help from another FUCKING man as long as I live! Help me?! Yeah I'm sure, you'll help me just like every other man I've ever had the unfortunate pleasure of crossing paths with. Help me right off the edge of the roof is what's more likely to happen. You're all the same! Violent, sex crazed, and all too happy to kick the shit out of women you've gotten your fill of!"
  Eric stood, absolutely fuming as Rae fell back against the pillows. He retrieved the pills from the floor, and slammed them down on his night stand next to the water causing Rae to jump. He turned and began to walk towards the door.
  Rae immediately felt terrible. She shouldn't have yelled at him...he didn't at all deserve the words she'd just thrown at him. She wanted to call out and tell him that she was sorry, yet as Eric's footsteps made their way across the bedroom her words failed her. He wasn't likely to understand what had just come over her. She barely understood herself at the moment, and did not expect him to forgive her for what she had just said. 
  Just as Eric placed his hand on the door knob, he changed his mind. Taking a deep breath, he for once let go of his anger intentionally. He couldn't leave her now. What kind of man would he be if he did? He would be the kind of man she'd just told him he was. Turning and retracing his steps, he kicked off his shoes. He carefully crawled under the blankets next to Rae, worried he might set her off on another angry rant. Thankfully for him, she did not object as he gently slid an arm over her waist and interlocked his fingers with hers. He pulled her close to him until her back was flush against his chest. For a long time, they lay there in silence. Eventually, Rae turned to face him and whispered,
"I'm so sorry Eric. I shouldn't have yelled at you. You didnt deserve it, any of it. I'm just so confused... everything is a blur. I-I was... I was scared."
"Don't sweat it." He replied with a small smile. "I'm not exactly the nicest guy ever Rae, I'll give you that, but I would never hurt you. Not like that. I'll explain everything in the morning, but for now you need to rest. Doctors orders." 
"Okay."
  He leaned in and kissed her softly, laying her head back down on his broad chest. Within minutes they were both deeply asleep.
                          
***
                          
  The first thing Rae noticed when she woke up was the sharp ache that was hammering through her skull. Her head felt like weighed 10 times more than usual. She didn't even attempt to sit up, which brought her to her second realization. For the second day in a row she had woken up in Eric's bed. This time, however, Eric was still in it. One of his arms held Rae tightly against him while the other rested above his head. Her head was still on his chest, which rose and fell steadily as he slept. Only now did she really notice the thick, curly black hair that ran across it and down over his toned stomach. Rae reached out her hand and ran her fingers lightly through it, feeling the relaxed muscles. She continued to move her hand back and forth, and for a moment, she forgot who she was in bed with. That is, until Eric's hand moved from above his head down to gently enclose Rae's. 
"What are you doing?" He asked groggily. 
"Sorry." She replied, and finally tried to sit up. The pressure in her head almost made her pass out, but she managed to get upright with the help of Eric's large hand pressing on her lower back. Eric sat up also, sighing heavily and rubbing his eyes.
"Look, these pills here...they won't hurt you, Rae. They were prescribed to you by the medic. There are pain pills, and sleeping pills...if you want them. It's up to you if you don't want to take them, but the pain pills at least will really help your head." 
  With that, he got up and plopped the bag full of medicine in her lap, and then made his way out of the bedroom to the bathroom. Rae decided on taking a pain killer. She swallowed it, and slowly stood, making her way to the full length mirror next to the door. 
I look like complete shit.
  Her long hair closely resembled a black lion's mane. Zachariah's blows to her face had split her cheek and lips open, and there was a thin gash that stretched along the left side of her jaw, and vertically across her stomach. Someone had attempted to clean up the blood from her skin, but it dotted her bra and her panties. She then realized she had no clothes here with her. 
  Eric emerged from the bathroom and looked Rae up and down. Then, grabbing her another t-shirt and a pair of boxers from his dresser, he walked to where she stood. He looked between her and her reflection in the mirror. 
"I'm assuming you want to shower." He couldn't quite hide the smirk on his face.
"Are you kidding me right now?" She asked him, hands on her hips. "I get drugged and beaten, and you're gonna stand there and make jokes about the way I look? Screw you, dick." She turned to stalk into the bathroom when Eric caught her arm, laughing heartily.
"Fuck, I thought you'd be a little less grumpy than you were last night after you'd gotten some rest. Obviously I was wrong..definitely wrong."
  Rae tried to hold her face in an annoyed expression, but failed miserably. She had never heard Eric really laugh before, and she couldn't help smiling at the sound. Laughing again he said,
"For what it's worth, even looking like that, I'd still fuck you. And you're lucky I already have, or that name you just called me would get your little ass whooped all over again." He winked, then turned on his heel, heading for the kitchen. "Take a shower, I'll make us something to eat."
                          
Both amused and annoyed, Rae obeyed without another word. She liked this goofy side of the big, scary Dauntless leader.
                          
This totally would have been up yesterday...buuuut the Wattpad app on my phone froze, or something, and I lost the whole chapter. Even though I hit save! Since I finally have it up though I'll try to stop being butt hurt about it. Hopefully you guys are enjoying yourselves so far!